Hi there,

had any one of you experience this similar kind of scenario like me? SG heartbeat suddenly go very fast and after few sec / hours the SG passed away?

out of the blue my 2 sugar gliders (1 about 1 year old plus the other about 6 months old) all of sudden had a very fast heart beat until their whole body is shacking. the 1 year old SG heart beat was beating faster than normal like about twice the normal heart beat. when i tried to lift him up in my hand he stay there for a while and he want me to put him down. when i put him down he walk around 3 steps and he loss all his energy. i run in to my room wanting to grab some honey to feed him but when i come back he was already dead. this happen to soon i dont even have time to react.

so i called the vet to ask what the possible cause of death but the vet was unsure as well. she said that it might be due to heart attack as he was almost 2. i thought SG has a life span of 15 years?

the younger one his heart beat also beating fast like 1.5times the normal one and his whole body is shacking too. i can see from his eyes that he is getting tired and no energy. so i took him out of the cage and accompany him till his last breath. 2 hours later he passed away as well.

Was there any changes made to/around them? Did you feed them something new, or clean their cage with any weird chemicals? Could they have gotten access to anything like that? D:

I'm so sorry for your loss.. that's traumatizing, I know. My sister lost her cat in a similar sounding situation. He was poisoned by some unknown substance. It happened so fast, we couldn't do anything for him.

nope nothing...i had 12 gliders in the same cage...only 2 were affected...finger cross that not all were affected...

the only thing that is new is that i bought new snack for them from diff seller but i post my that brand of snack in the fb forum and most breeder say that their SG was fine consuming them...

so i was wondering is it my production batch that was affected?

i really want to know whats their cause of death :( but i dont have the heart for the vet to do the necropsy on them. i jus want to let them go peacefully.

You should take the others to the vet just in case. I've heard suggies hide symptoms until it's way bad, they all might have been suffering and they just never showed signs until it was too late.

If you can afford it, you really really should do the necropsy. You don't want that happening again, especially since you have no idea what did it. D: Two at once, that's a big red flag.

Did they all eat the same treats? Maybe it was a bad batch? I wouldn't feed them from that bag anymore.. Might be able to get a refund or something if you contact the seller with your concern over it maybe being a bad batch. Worse that'll happen there is you lose money over the bag. But I wouldn't feed them anymore if there's aaaaaany suspicion. D:

It is entirely possible that the gliders that died had some sort of inherited heart defect due to inbreeding. They may have been frightened by something or running and very active at the same time causing the rapid heart rate prior to their deaths.

Neutering all males to prevent all further breeding is necessary.

If your colony began with only a brother and sister - the genetic problems will only become more likely as their inbred offspring continue to mate with each other or with the parents making the more recently born joeys much more likely to have genetic defects.

Inbreeding might be a factor of weakness, however, it is unlikely in that case that the same issues appear at the same time on 2 individuals, so there may be something else at play there.

I think having 12 gliders in the same cage might have something to do with it...

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Originally posted by jlprkr

I think having 12 gliders in the same cage might have something to do with it...

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what do you mean exactly? may i know?

First, I am so sorry for your loss.

Second, So much more information is needed to even attempt to know what went wrong. We have to be careful not to jump to conclusions way to quickly and make assumptions that make no logical sense.
We all need to do research on the effects that inbreeding has on our animals. It can very well affect all animals if in fact they are all from the same family. Heart failure is very common in inbred gliders. As well as kidney and liver failure and neurological problems. But without the necropsy you will never know. And even that needs to be done right away.

You need the background of every glider to even start to figure out the cause. With no pedigree and no background, the glider should ever be bred. This is the results when we try to breed cheap. Gliders that are 'rescues', should remain 'rescues'. Poor breeding result in gliders dying and hearts being broken.

Here are some things you should know. Keep records of each, vet will need also.

#1. Where did they come from? 'Honest' Breeder? or Pocket Pets = Mall, Craigslist, a friend, classifieds?
#2. Were the 12 gliders properly introduced? Such as: were they taken to vet first for clean bill of health, quarantined for 30 days then retested?
#3. What supplements were used? Were they supplemented properly and regularly? Gliders will die quicker, w/o proper supplements.
#4. Were you properly educated before you started collecting them? Did you have any help with caring for them? Or with the cost of vetting all twelve?
#5. What diet were you using? Healthy nutritional diet? or the instant stuff?
#6. How long since you added the last one to colony?
#7. Are all 12 gliders in the same cage?

Oh, and the honey would not have saved them. It would have only given them a fast sugar boost(which would have speed up the heart more). But I know you were panicking to save them. I think it was just out of your hands -or even a vets hands- in this case. Again, I'm so sorry.

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Originally posted by FlyerTuck

First, I am so sorry for your loss.

Second, So much more information is needed to even attempt to know what went wrong. We have to be careful not to jump to conclusions way to quickly and make assumptions that make no logical sense.
We all need to do research on the effects that inbreeding has on our animals. It can very well affect all animals if in fact they are all from the same family. Heart failure is very common in inbred gliders. As well as kidney and liver failure and neurological problems. But without the necropsy you will never know. And even that needs to be done right away.

You need the background of every glider to even start to figure out the cause. With no pedigree and no background, the glider should ever be bred. This is the results when we try to breed cheap. Gliders that are 'rescues', should remain 'rescues'. Poor breeding result in gliders dying and hearts being broken.

Here are some things you should know. Keep records of each, vet will need also.

#1. Where did they come from? 'Honest' Breeder? or Pocket Pets = Mall, Craigslist, a friend, classifieds?
#2. Were the 12 gliders properly introduced? Such as: were they taken to vet first for clean bill of health, quarantined for 30 days then retested?
#3. What supplements were used? Were they supplemented properly and regularly? Gliders will die quicker, w/o proper supplements.
#4. Were you properly educated before you started collecting them? Did you have any help with caring for them? Or with the cost of vetting all twelve?
#5. What diet were you using? Healthy nutritional diet? or the instant stuff?
#6. How long since you added the last one to colony?
#7. Are all 12 gliders in the same cage?

Oh, and the honey would not have saved them. It would have only given them a fast sugar boost(which would have speed up the heart more). But I know you were panicking to save them. I think it was just out of your hands -or even a vets hands- in this case. Again, I'm so sorry.

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1. yes they come from honest good breeder.
2. i never took them to vet because they look healthy :x i only took them to vet for those that i can see somehting wrong with them thru their eyes.
3. yes i do use proper supplerment such as the HPW, wombaroo high protein, possum milk replacer, calcium, tea tree oil, glider booster, nectar etc
4. the breeder taught me how to care and clean for them. the basic knowledge i need to know before getting them. cost is never been a problem :D
5. i use to give them snack (fruity snack, dried mealworm, yogurt, milk, fish strip) , baby food stuff and fresh fruits with the supplement
6. i never add...its all from the same parents their own joey.
7. yes all 12 in the same cage. jumbo cage

oh i dont know about that because i ask in fb SG community they ask me to give them honey if they have no appetite and keep givin them water to make sure they are not dehydrated :(

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3. yes i do use proper supplerment such as the HPW, wombaroo high protein, possum milk replacer, calcium, tea tree oil, glider booster, nectar etc

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It is not just the use of a particular supplement - it is also important to use the appropriate AMOUNT of the supplement. You have listed above several DIFFERENT supplements. These should not all be used at one time - this could result in an overdosage of vitamins and minerals which could be as life threatening as a prolonged use of a low dosage.

If you are feeding HPW made with Wombaroo High Protein Supplement you do not need most of the other items you have listed. The Wombaroo High Protein Supplement contains the necessary vitamins.

If you add a calcium supplement it should be a VERY SMALL amount because the Wombaroo High Protein Supplement meets most of a glider's daily needs.

Adding calcium, glider booster and possum milk replacer together would be overdosing your gliders especially it these are in addition to the HPW.


HOW LARGE is the 'jumbo cage' that currently houses your 12 gliders?

The fact that you got the first gliders from an 'honest breeder' is neither here nor there. The inbreeding that has gone on to build your colony to 12 gliders is a huge health problem for your gliders.

In another thread you are looking for new cages - are you planning on separating males and females to prevent further inbreeding?

hmmm...because the seller of the supplement told me that it was ok to mix all together...and i have been doin it since the first day i got my glider....the breeder told me that it was fine to mix all those into 1 with the baby food...

so here is how i mix them (all in powder form)
- 150gr of baby food
- 1 tea spoon of each (wombarro, hpw, possum milk replacer, booster)

i put them in lock n lock container and mix them well..so everyday day jus take some and make the food and also i add the following

- the calcium its liquid so i give them 12 drops - 24 drops
- the oil i giv 12 drops

and after i just serve it to my SG...

then sometime i give them fruits and vege and carrots too...

hmmm...because the seller of the supplement told me that it was ok to mix all together...and i have been doin it since the first day i got my glider....the breeder told me that it was fine to mix all those into 1 with the baby food...

so here is how i mix them (all in powder form)
- 150gr of baby food
- 1 tea spoon of each (wombarro, hpw, possum milk replacer, booster)

i put them in lock n lock container and mix them well..so everyday day jus take some and make the food and also i add the following

- the calcium its liquid so i give them 12 drops - 24 drops
- the oil i giv 12 drops

and after i just serve it to my SG...

then sometime i give them fruits and vege and carrots too...

quote:

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so here is how i mix them (all in powder form)
- 150gr of baby food
- 1 tea spoon of each (wombarro, hpw, possum milk replacer, booster)

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Is the baby food - a dry baby cereal?

Baby cereals made for human babies are very high in IRON which may be too large a dosage for an animal as small as a sugar glider.

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- the calcium its liquid so i give them 12 drops - 24 drops
- the oil i giv 12 drops

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Without knowing the strength of the calcium liquid - (is the bottle labeled with the mg amount of calcium per drop?) it is very likely that you are adding an excessive amount of calcium to the mixture. The Wombaroo High Protein Supplement, Possum Milk Replacer and Booster ALL CONTAIN CALCIUM as well. Overdosage of calcium can be as dangerous as offering too little

12 drops of oil daily may be TOO MUCH fat for your gliders.

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then sometime i give them fruits and vege and carrots too...

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They should be offered a wide variety of fruits and vegetables each week. The should be offered about 1 TBS fruit and 1 TBS Vegetables PER GLIDER each day.

Are you offering any PROTEIN FOODS with the babyfood/supplement mixture?

Your gliders may all have health issues due to consuming poorly balanced diet long term. If you have Wombaroo High Protein Supplement - I recommend choosing one of the feeding plans that uses this as its base to provide appropriate amounts of vitamins and calcium. There are a number of recipes that you can choose from to provide your gliders with a balanced feeding plan.

http://www.gliderkids-diet.com/Staple-Recipes.html